My cousin-in-law helped me achieve my ambitions.

"Miss Yang!" Su Ming hurried over, his face beaming with undisguised joy. "I passed! Warehouse manager, report for duty tomorrow!"

Yang Tian's eyes lit up: "Really? Congratulations!"

"Thank goodness you reminded me yesterday," Su Ming said sincerely. "If you hadn't told me about the warehouse clerk position, I might still be wandering around aimlessly. Especially that fake certificate..."

"Shh!" Yang Tian whispered, "Never mention this again, understand? Work is tough, and you'll be stuck with high school graduates from now on."

"Okay, I understand!" Su Ming said excitedly, "Thank you for helping me find a good job."

"That's because you're capable," Yang Tian smiled sweetly. "How about it, are you happy?"

"Great!" Su Ming nodded vigorously, then suddenly remembered something. "Miss Yang, I... I'd like to invite you to dinner, thank you. Is that convenient for you?"

Yang Tian paused for a moment, then smiled: "Forget about dinner. You just found a job, so be careful with your money." She hesitated, her eyes curving into crescents, "If you're so kind, you could treat me to a bowl of sweet soup at lunchtime. It's not expensive, a bowl of light sweet soup will do."

"Qingbuliang?" Su Ming had never heard of this term before.

"It's a dessert with mung beans, red beans, barley, lotus seeds... It's perfect for cooling down in the summer," Yang Tian explained. "It's not expensive, only one yuan and fifty cents a bowl, and it's quite delicious."

One dollar and fifty cents.

Su Ming did the math in his head. He spent one yuan on the bus fare, one yuan on two steamed buns for breakfast, and he still had... a lot left!

"Okay!" he readily agreed. "I'll treat you to some refreshing dessert soup at noon. Where shall we go?"

"There's a dessert shop on the street behind the factory; I go there often." Yang Tian glanced at her watch. "I get off work at twelve. If you're not in a hurry, you can wait for me a bit."

"No rush, no rush," Su Ming quickly said. "I'll wait for you."

"Okay, see you at the back gate of the factory at twelve o'clock." Yang Tian waved to him and turned to enter the factory gate.

Su Ming stood there, watching her graceful figure, feeling as if something had gently bumped into his heart.

Qingbuliang (a type of herbal dessert).

He murmured the word to himself, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.

This city doesn't seem so bad.

After saying goodbye to Yang Tian, ​​there were still more than two hours until midnight. Su Ming wandered aimlessly through the industrial zone, surveying the place that was about to become his "new battlefield".

The Snake Hill Industrial Zone was larger than he had imagined. A main road ran north to south, lined with factories—clothing factories, electronics factories, hardware factories, plastic factories… Each factory gate had a job posting, and young people were sitting or standing waiting for interviews.

The air was filled with a mixture of smells: the acrid smell of machine oil and molten plastic, the aroma of food wafting from the canteen, and the salty, pungent smell of sweat. The roar of machines emanated from the factory, incessant and deafening.

Su Ming strolled slowly down the street, calculating in his mind: 800 a month, including accommodation, if I'm careful with my spending, I can save 500 or 600 each month. After a year, I'll have 6,000 or 7,000 in savings. Then I can rent a small single room and bring my parents over…

Just then, he saw an ice rink by the roadside.

It's called an ice rink, but it's really just a big tin shed with a cement floor painted blue. There's a tattered sign hanging at the entrance that reads "Flying Eagle Ice Rink, two pieces per hour" in red paint.

Deafening disco music blared from inside the shed, accompanied by the screech of wheels on the ground. Through the open iron gate, figures could be seen moving about inside; young men and women held hands, spinning and gliding in the dim light.

Su Ming had never ice skated in his hometown; he had only seen it on TV. He hesitated for a moment, then felt for the change in his pocket—it was still early, so he might as well go in and take a look.

He spent two yuan on a ticket and another yuan to rent a pair of old, peeling roller skates. The skates were a bit too big, and Su Ming awkwardly slipped them on, then stood up while holding onto the railing.

He had just tried to slide one step when he lurched forward. He frantically grabbed the railing to avoid falling.

A soft chuckle came from the side. Su Ming turned his head and saw several young men with dyed yellow hair looking at him with mocking eyes.

He ignored it and continued to hold onto the railing, inching forward. Gradually, he got the hang of it and dared to let go. Although he was slipping and wobbling, at least he wouldn't fall.

The music was so loud it hurt my eardrums, and the flashing lights were dazzling. There were probably thirty or forty people in the venue, mostly young people around twenty years old, dressed fashionably—at least by those standards: skinny jeans, floral shirts, and some girls even wearing miniskirts.

Su Ming skated around twice and gradually relaxed. Just as he was about to try a turn, he suddenly heard a commotion ahead.

He looked up and saw a small group of people gathered in the center of the rink. A tall young man in a white T-shirt was holding the hand of a girl in a pink skirt, teaching her to ice skate. The two were very close, chatting and laughing.

Several shady-looking men surrounded them, the leader of whom was bald and wore a thick gold chain around his neck.

"Hey, I've got my eye on this chick, move aside." The bald man shoved the tall guy.

The tall man stumbled, then frowned after regaining his balance: "Who are you? We were here first."

"First here?" The bald man grinned, revealing a set of teeth stained yellow from smoking. "I'm the boss here." He reached out to grab the girl. "Little sister, play with me, I'll teach you some real kung fu."

"No, I don't know you!" The girl shrank back in fright and hid behind the tall man.

The tall man blocked her way: "Try touching her again!"

"Oh, you're pretty cocky, aren't you?" The smile on the bald man's face vanished. Four or five men surrounded him, carrying several short sticks that appeared out of nowhere.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Everyone in the venue stopped and watched from a distance, no one daring to approach. The music continued, the disco rhythm creating an eerie contrast with the standoff before them.

The tall man was clearly panicked, but he didn't back down, stubbornly asking, "What, you want to fight?"

"So what if I hit you?" the bald man waved his hand. "Get him!"

Several people rushed forward.

To everyone's surprise, the tall man turned out to be quite skilled. He dodged the first blow from the stick, punched the bald man in the face with a backhand, and then kicked another person who pounced on him to the ground.

The melee began.

It was described as a melee, but it was really a group of people fighting one. The tall man was agile, and despite taking several blows, he managed to knock down two or three people. The scene was chaotic, filled with screams, curses, and the dull thuds of clubs hitting bodies.

The owner of the skating rink was a chubby, middle-aged man. Fearing things would escalate, he finally ran over to break up the fight: "Stop fighting! Stop fighting! I'll call the police if you keep hitting me!"

The bald man, his nose bleeding from the punch, roared furiously, "Damn it, you just wait! Don't you dare run away!"

He led his men, cursing and swearing, back to the side of the field, but didn't leave, just staring fiercely at the tall man.

The tall man didn't chase after them. He took the girl's hand and skated to the other side of the rink. They whispered something to each other. The girl seemed very scared and kept pulling him away. But the tall man shook his head and skated even harder, as if in defiance.

Su Ming watched from afar, a vague unease creeping into his heart. The ruthlessness in the eyes of that bald man and his gang didn't seem like that of ordinary street thugs.

He took off his skates, returned them, and walked out of the rink.

The sunlight outside was blinding, and Su Ming squinted as he prepared to leave when he suddenly heard hurried footsteps and shouts behind him.

He turned around and his heart sank.

It turned out that the tall man had just come out of the skating rink and was about to cross the road when seven or eight people rushed out from the alley next to him. This time, they weren't carrying sticks, but gleaming machetes. The one leading them was the same man with the big gold chain from before.

"Cut him down!" The bald man's voice was hoarse and frantic.

The tall man turned pale and turned to run. But after only a few steps, he bumped into a young man on the opposite side, and both of them stumbled back a few steps and fell to the ground.

"Chop him down!" The bald man brandished his machete and charged forward, hacking wildly at the tall man.

The other thugs also rushed forward, brandishing their knives.

A series of "bang" sounds were accompanied by cries of pain and screams. The group of thugs immediately turned around and scattered, disappearing into the crowd in the blink of an eye.

It was obvious at a glance that this was a group of thugs who often got into fights. Their methods were incredibly professional and ruthless. Su Ming, who was standing to the side, was shocked and quite frightened. His heart was pounding wildly.